U.S. patent application number 16/046069 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-14 for methods for forming a photo-mask and a semiconductor device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Winbond Electronics Corp.. Invention is credited to Chung-Chen HSU, Ching-Chun HUANG, Chun-Hung LIN.
Application Number | 20190051527 16/046069 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65275810 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-14 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190051527 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIN; Chun-Hung ; et
al. |
February 14, 2019 |
METHODS FOR FORMING A PHOTO-MASK AND A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
Abstract
A method for forming a photo-mask includes providing a first
pattern, wherein the first pattern includes a first
light-transmitting region and a first light-shielding region;
transforming the first pattern into a second pattern, wherein the
second pattern includes a second light-transmitting region and a
second light-shielding region, the second light-transmitting region
is located within range of the first light-transmitting region, and
the second light-transmitting region has an area which is smaller
than that of the first light-transmitting region, the second
light-shielding region includes the entire region of the first
light-shielding region, and the second light-shielding region has
an area which is greater than that of the first light-shielding
region; and forming the second pattern on a photo-mask substrate to
form a photo-mask, wherein the photo-mask is used in an ion
implantation process of a material layer.
Inventors: |
LIN; Chun-Hung; (Chiayi
City, TW) ; HUANG; Ching-Chun; (Taichung City,
TW) ; HSU; Chung-Chen; (Taitung City, Taitung County,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Winbond Electronics Corp. |
Taichung City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
65275810 |
Appl. No.: |
16/046069 |
Filed: |
July 26, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03F 1/00 20130101; H01L
21/0274 20130101; H01L 21/266 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/266 20060101
H01L021/266; H01L 21/027 20060101 H01L021/027 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 9, 2017 |
CN |
201710674588.2 |
Claims
1. A method for forming a photo-mask used in an ion implantation
process of a material layer, comprising: providing a first pattern,
wherein the first pattern comprises a first light-transmitting
region and a first light-shielding region; transforming the first
pattern into a second pattern, wherein the second pattern comprises
a second light-transmitting region and a second light-shielding
region, the second light-transmitting region is located within
range of the first light-transmitting region, and the second
light-transmitting region has an area which is smaller than that of
the first light-transmitting region, the second light-shielding
region includes the entire region of the first light-shielding
region, and the second light-shielding region has an area which is
greater than that of the first light-shielding region; and forming
the second pattern on a photo-mask substrate to form a
photo-mask.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
light-shielding region is surrounded by the first
light-transmitting region, and the second light-transmitting region
is surrounded by the second light-shielding region.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second pattern
further comprises a third light-transmitting region, the third
light-transmitting region is located within range of the first
light-transmitting region, and the third light-transmitting region
is not connected to the second light-transmitting region.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sum of an area of
the second light-transmitting region and an area of the third
light-transmitting region is smaller than an area of the first
light-transmitting region, and wherein the material layer is
composed of a first region, a second region and a third region, an
ion implantation process is performed on the first region, the ion
implantation process is not performed on the second region, and the
ion implantation process is optionally performed on the third
region.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein an active area, a
gate, or a contact hole of a semiconductor device or a combination
thereof is located at the first region, and another active area,
another gate, or another contact hole of the semiconductor device
or a combination thereof is located at the second region.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first
light-shielding region corresponds to a location of the first
region, the first light-transmitting region corresponds to
locations of the second region and the third region, and wherein
the second light-shielding region corresponds to the locations of
the first region and the third region, and the second
light-transmitting region corresponds to the location of the second
region.
7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transformation of
the first pattern into the second pattern further comprises:
dividing the first light-transmitting region into a plurality of
sub-light-transmitting regions according to a location of the
second region of the material layer; and merging every adjacent
pair of the sub-light-transmitting regions having an interval that
is less than a minimum exposure interval into the second
light-transmitting region of the second pattern.
8. A method for forming a photo-mask used in an ion implantation
process of a material layer, comprising: providing a first pattern,
wherein the first pattern comprises a first light-transmitting
region and a first light-shielding region; transforming the first
pattern into a second pattern, wherein the second pattern comprises
a second light-transmitting region and a second light-shielding
region, the second light-shielding region is located within range
of the first light-shielding region, and the second light-shielding
region has an area which is smaller than that of the first
light-shielding region, the second light-transmitting region
includes the entire region of the first light-transmitting region,
and the second light-transmitting region has an area which is
greater than that of the first light-transmitting region; and
forming the second pattern on a photo-mask substrate to form a
photo-mask.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first
light-transmitting region is surrounded by the first
light-shielding region, and the second light-shielding region is
surrounded by the second light-transmitting region.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second pattern
further comprises a third light-shielding region, the third
light-shielding region is located within range of the first
light-shielding region, and the third light-shielding region is not
connected to the second light-shielding region.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sum of an area
of the second light-shielding region and an area of the third
light-shielding region is smaller than an area of the first
light-shielding region, wherein the material layer is composed of a
first region, a second region and a third region, an ion
implantation process is performed on the first region, the ion
implantation process is not performed on the second region, and the
ion implantation process is optionally performed on the third
region, and wherein an active area, a gate, or a contact hole of a
semiconductor device or a combination thereof is located at the
first region, and another active area, another gate, or another
contact hole of the semiconductor device or a combination thereof
is located at the second region.
12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first
light-transmitting region corresponds to a location of the first
region, the first light-shielding region corresponds to locations
of the second region and the third region, and wherein the second
light-transmitting region corresponds to the locations of the first
region and the third region, and the second light-shielding region
corresponds to the location of the second region.
13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transformation
of the first pattern into the second pattern further comprises:
dividing the first light-shielding region into a plurality of
sub-light-shielding regions according to a location of the second
region of the material layer; and merging every adjacent pair of
the sub-light-shielding regions having an interval that is smaller
than a minimum exposure interval into the second light-shielding
region of the second pattern.
14. A method for forming a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a photo-mask formed by the method as claimed in claim 1,
the photo-mask has a light-shielding pattern and a
light-transmitting region outside of the light-shielding pattern,
wherein the light-shielding pattern corresponds to the second
light-shielding region of the second pattern as claimed in claim 1,
the light-transmitting region corresponds to the second
light-transmitting region of the second pattern as claimed in claim
1, the light-transmitting region is surrounded by the
light-shielding pattern, and the light-shielding pattern extends to
an edge of the photo-mask; forming a material layer on a
semiconductor substrate; forming a mask layer on the material
layer; forming a photo-resist layer on the mask layer; exposing the
photo-resist layer by using the photo-mask, and developing the
exposed photo-resist layer to form a patterned photo-resist;
patterning the mask layer by using the patterned photo-resist to
form a patterned mask; and performing an ion implantation process
to the material layer by using the patterned mask.
15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the photo-mask
further comprises an additional light-transmitting region, both the
light-transmitting region and the additional light-transmitting
region are surrounded by the light-shielding pattern, and the
light-transmitting region is not connected to the additional
light-transmitting region.
16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the material layer
is composed of a first region, a second region and a third region,
the ion implantation process is performed on the first region, the
ion implantation process is not performed on the second region, and
the ion implantation process is optionally performed on the third
region.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein an active area, a
gate, or a contact hole of a semiconductor device or a combination
thereof is located at the first region, and another active area,
another gate, or another contact hole of the semiconductor device
or a combination thereof is located at the second region.
18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the light-shielding
pattern corresponds to locations of the first region and the third
region, and the light-transmitting region corresponds to a location
of the second region.
19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the photo-resist
layer is a negative photo-resist, and the second region is covered
and the first region and a portion of the third region are exposed
by the patterned mask.
20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the photo-resist
layer is a negative photo-resist, and an area of the patterned mask
covering the second region is at least 1.2 times an area of the
second region.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of China Patent
Application No. 201710674588.2 filed on Aug. 9, 2017, entitled
"METHODS FOR FORMING A PHOTO-MASK AND A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE" which
is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to semiconductor manufacturing
technologies, and in particular to methods for forming a layout
pattern of a photo-mask and methods for forming a semiconductor
device.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, photolithography
is an important step in transferring the layout patterns of the
integrated circuits (ICs) onto the semiconductor chips. Generally,
the layout patterns of the photo-masks are first designed according
to the layouts of the integrated circuits. Next, the layout
patterns of the photo-masks are formed on the photo-masks. Then,
the patterns on the photo-masks are transferred to scale on the
photo-resist material layers located on the surfaces of the
semiconductor chips in the photolithography process.
[0004] In addition, semiconductor devices and the manufacturing
technologies used to produce them have developed greatly during the
past decades, allowing the size of the circuit to become smaller
and much more complicated. In the photolithography process,
reducing the critical dimension and improving the process window
are the main purposes at present.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for
forming a photo-mask used in an ion implantation process of a
material layer. The method includes providing a first pattern,
wherein the first pattern includes a first light-transmitting
region and a first light-shielding region. The method also includes
transforming the first pattern into a second pattern, wherein the
second pattern includes a second light-transmitting region and a
second light-shielding region, the second light-transmitting region
is located within range of the first light-transmitting region, and
the second light-transmitting region has an area that is smaller
than that of the first light-transmitting region, the second
light-shielding region includes the entire region of the first
light-shielding region, and the second light-shielding region has
an area that is greater than that of the first light-shielding
region. The method further includes forming the second pattern on a
photo-mask substrate to form a photo-mask.
[0006] Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for
forming a photo-mask used in an ion implantation process of a
material layer. The method includes providing a first pattern,
wherein the first pattern includes a first light-transmitting
region and a first light-shielding region. The method also includes
transforming the first pattern into a second pattern, wherein the
second pattern includes a second light-transmitting region and a
second light-shielding region, the second light-shielding region is
located within range of the first light-shielding region, and the
second light-shielding region has an area which is smaller than
that of the first light-shielding region, the second
light-transmitting region includes the entire region of the first
light-transmitting region, and the second light-transmitting region
has an area which is greater than that of the first
light-transmitting region. The method further includes forming the
second pattern on a photo-mask substrate to form a photo-mask.
[0007] Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for
forming a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a
photo-mask formed by the aforementioned method, the photo-mask has
a light-shielding pattern and a light-transmitting region outside
of the light-shielding pattern, wherein the light-shielding pattern
corresponds to the second light-shielding region of the
aforementioned second pattern, the light-transmitting region
corresponds to the second light-transmitting region of the
aforementioned second pattern, the light-transmitting region is
surrounded by the light-shielding pattern, and the light-shielding
pattern extends to an edge of the photo-mask. The method also
includes forming a material layer on a semiconductor substrate,
forming a mask layer on the material layer, and forming a
photo-resist layer on the mask layer. The method further includes
exposing the photo-resist layer by using the photo-mask, and
developing the exposed photo-resist layer to form a patterned
photo-resist. In addition, the method includes patterning the mask
layer by using the patterned photo-resist to form a patterned mask,
and performing an ion implantation process to the material layer by
using the patterned mask.
[0008] A detailed description is given in the following embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The disclosure can be more fully understood from the
following detailed description when read with the accompanying
figures. It is worth noting that, in accordance with the standard
practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale.
In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily
increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
[0010] FIGS. 1A to 1C are top views illustrating intermediate
stages of a method for forming a layout pattern of a photo-mask in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0011] FIGS. 2A to 2C are top views illustrating intermediate
stages of a method for forming a layout pattern of a photo-mask in
accordance with some other embodiments.
[0012] FIGS. 3A to 3D are cross-sectional views illustrating
intermediate stages of a method for forming a semiconductor device
in accordance with some embodiments, wherein FIGS. 3A to 3D are
cross-sectional views corresponding to line 3-3 of the photo-mask
in the top view of FIG. 2C.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1A, first regions A1, A2, A3 and second
regions B1, B2, B3 are labeled in a pattern design region 101 of a
photo-mask, in accordance with some embodiments. The first regions
A1, A2, A3 and the second regions B1, B2, B3 respectively
correspond to the location of target elements of a semiconductor
device (for example, active areas, gates, contact holes or a
combination thereof) in the subsequent processes, and each of the
first regions A1, A2, A3 and each of the second regions B1, B2, B3
are independent regions, they are not connected to each other.
[0014] In the present embodiment, the first regions A1, A2 and A3
correspond to the regions of the material layer of the
semiconductor device on which a manufacturing process is expected
to be performed subsequently by using a photo-mask, and the second
regions B1, B2 and B3 correspond to the regions of the material
layer of the semiconductor device on which the manufacturing
process is expected not to be performed subsequently. In addition,
the regions outside of the first regions A1, A2, A3 and the second
regions B1, B2, B3 of the pattern design region 101 correspond to
the regions of the material layer of the semiconductor device on
which the manufacturing process is expected to be optionally
performed. In some embodiments, the aforementioned manufacturing
process may be, for example, an ion implantation process.
[0015] Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a first pattern 100 is generated
in the pattern design region 101. The first pattern 100 includes a
first light-transmitting region 111 and a plurality of first
light-shielding regions 121, 122, 123. In some embodiments, the
first light-shielding regions 121, 122, 123 are separated from each
other, and each of the first light-shielding regions 121, 122, 123
is surrounded by the first light-transmitting region 111. In
addition, the first pattern 100 is a pattern design passing the
design rule check (DRC) of the photo-mask layout.
[0016] It is worth noting that the first light-shielding regions
121, 122, 123 respectively correspond to the locations of the first
regions A1, A2, A3, and the first light-shielding regions 121, 122,
123 at least include the entire regions of the first regions A1,
A2, A3, respectively. In addition, the second regions B1, B2, B3
and the region outside of the first regions A1, A2, A3 and the
second regions B1, B2, B3 of the pattern design region 101 are
covered by the first light-transmitting region 111.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1C, the first pattern 100 is transformed
into a second pattern 200, in accordance with some embodiments. The
second pattern 200 includes a second light-transmitting region 131,
a third light-transmitting region 132, a fourth light-transmitting
region 133 and a second light-shielding region 141. In some
embodiments, the second light-transmitting region 131, the third
light-transmitting region 132 and the fourth light-transmitting
region 133 are separated from each other. The second
light-transmitting region 131, the third light-transmitting region
132 and the fourth light-transmitting region 133 are surrounded by
the second light-shielding region 141, and the second
light-shielding region 141 extends to an edge of the second pattern
200. In addition, since the second pattern 200 is transformed from
the first pattern 100, the second pattern 200 is also a pattern
design passing the design rule check (DRC) of the photo-mask
layout.
[0018] It is worth noting that the second light-transmitting region
131 corresponds to the location of the second region B1, and the
second light-transmitting region 131 at least completely covers the
second region B1. The third light-transmitting region 132
corresponds to the location of the second region B2, and the third
light-transmitting region 132 at least entirely covers the second
region B2. The fourth light-transmitting region 133 corresponds to
the location of the second region B3, and the fourth
light-transmitting region 133 at least entirely covers the second
region B3. In addition, the second light-shielding region 141
includes the entire region of the first regions A1, A2, A3 and a
portion of the regions outside of the first regions A1, A2, A3 and
the second regions B1, B2, B3 of the pattern design region 101.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C, the second light-transmitting
region 131, the third light-transmitting region 132 and the fourth
light-transmitting region 133 of FIG. 1C are located within range
of the first light-transmitting region 111 of FIG. 1B. The sum of
the areas of the second light-transmitting region 131, the third
light-transmitting region 132 and the fourth light-transmitting
region 133 is smaller than the area of the first light-transmitting
region 111. On the other side, the second light-shielding region
141 includes the entire range of the first light-shielding regions
121, 122, 123, and the area of the second light-shielding region
141 is greater than the sum of the areas of the first
light-shielding regions 121, 122, 123.
[0020] When the photo-mask formed by the first pattern 100 of FIG.
1B is used in the manufacturing process performed on the material
layer of the semiconductor device, the target element region of the
semiconductor device is too close to the patterned mask thereon
which is formed by the first pattern 100. When the photo-mask
formed by the second pattern 200 of FIG. 1C is used in the
manufacturing process performed on the material layer of the
semiconductor device, the target element region of the
semiconductor device can be farther from the patterned mask thereon
which is formed by the second pattern 200.
[0021] For example, referring to FIG. 1B, the first light-shielding
region 123 of the first pattern 100 has exactly the same range as
that of the first region A3. In the horizontal direction X, the
central point C of the first region A3 and the first
light-transmitting region 111 have a first distance d1
therebetween, and in the vertical direction Y, the central point C
of the first region A3 and the first light-transmitting region 111
have a second distance d2 therebetween. Further, referring to FIG.
1C, the second light-shielding region 141 of the second pattern 200
includes the range of the first region A3. In the horizontal
direction X, the central point C of the first region A3 and the
fourth light-transmitting region 133 have a third distance d3
therebetween, and in the vertical direction Y, the central point C
of the first region A3 and the fourth light-transmitting region 133
have a fourth distance d4 therebetween. In this embodiment, the
second pattern 200 is compared with the first pattern 100, as a
result, the third distance d3 is greater than the first distance
d1, and the fourth distance d4 is greater than the second distance
d2.
[0022] Since the third distance d3 and the fourth distance d4 of
the second pattern 200 are greater than the first distance d1 and
the second distance d2 of the first pattern 100, when the
photo-mask formed by the second pattern 200 is used in the
manufacturing process which is performed on the material layer of
the semiconductor device, the target element region (such as A3) of
the semiconductor device can be farther from the patterned mask
thereon which is formed by the second pattern 200. Therefore, the
target element in the target element region can be prevented from
being affected by the pattern mask.
[0023] For example, in the manufacturing process of the
semiconductor device, a portion of the patterned mask formed by,
for example, a polymer material, may be easily dropped into the
contact hole of the semiconductor device during the patterning
process (such as the photolithography process) for forming the
patterned mask, such that the conductivity of the contact
subsequently formed in the contact hole is weak. As a result, the
resistivity of the semiconductor device may be increased, which in
turn becomes harmful to the performance of the semiconductor
device. When the photo-mask formed by the second pattern 200 is
used, the region of the contact hole formed in the semiconductor
device can be farther from the patterned mask thereon which is
formed by the second pattern 200, such that the material which is
used to form the patterned mask, such as the polymer material or
another mask material, can be prevented from dropping into the
contact hole. Therefore, the increasing of the resistivity of the
semiconductor device can also be avoided.
[0024] Moreover, when the target element region (such as the
contact hole) of the semiconductor device is too close to the
patterned mask thereon which is formed by the first pattern 100, a
portion of the patterned mask may easily block the contact hole,
which in turn causes an insufficient dose of ions to be implanted
into the region of the semiconductor device below the contact hole,
which is subsequently implanted through the contact hole. When the
photo-mask formed by the second pattern 200 is used in the ion
implantation process performed on the semiconductor device, the
problem of the insufficient dose of ions caused by the blocking of
the contact hole (the contact hole may be blocked by the patterned
mask) can be overcome.
[0025] Still referring to FIG. 1C, a photo-mask is formed by the
second pattern 200, and the photo-mask can be used in the
manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, such as the ion
implantation process performed on the material layer of the
semiconductor device.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 2A, first regions A1, A2, A3 and second
regions B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9 are labeled in a pattern
design region 301 of a photo-mask, in accordance with other
embodiments. The first regions A1-A3 and the second regions B1-B9
respectively correspond to the location of the target elements of
the semiconductor device (for example, active areas, gates, contact
holes or a combination thereof) in the subsequent processes, and
each of the first regions A1-A3 and each of the second regions
B1-B9 are independent regions, they are not connected to each
other.
[0027] In the present embodiment, the first regions A1-A3
correspond to the regions of the material layer of the
semiconductor device on which a manufacturing process is expected
to be performed subsequently, and the second regions B1-B9
correspond to the regions of the material layer of the
semiconductor device on which the manufacturing process is expected
not to be performed subsequently. In addition, the region outside
of the first regions A1-A3 and the second regions B1-B9 of the
pattern design region 301 correspond to the region of the
aforementioned material layer on which the manufacturing process is
expected to be optionally performed. In some embodiments, the
aforementioned manufacturing process may be, for example, an ion
implantation process.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 2A, a first pattern 300 passing the design
rule check (DRC) of the photo-mask layout is provided. The first
pattern 300 includes a first light-transmitting region 311 and a
first light-shielding region 321, and the first light-shielding
region 321 is surrounded by the first light-transmitting region
311. In some embodiments, the first light-shielding region 321 at
least includes the entire region of the first regions A1-A3, and
the first light-transmitting region 311 at least includes the
entire region of the second regions B1-B9.
[0029] Next, the transformation of the first pattern 300 is shown
in FIG. 2B. First, the first light-transmitting region 311 is
divided into a plurality of sub-light-transmitting regions 331,
332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339 according to the location of
each of the second regions B1-B9, and the region outside of the
sub-light-transmitting regions 331-339 is defined as a
predetermined second light-shielding region 341. In some
embodiments, the number of sub-light-transmitting regions 331-339
is equal to the number of second regions B1-B9, and the second
regions B1-B9 are entirely covered by the sub-light-transmitting
regions 331-339, respectively.
[0030] For example, the second region B1 has a first length L1 in
the vertical direction Y and a first width W1 in the horizontal
direction X. The sub-light-transmitting region 331 which covers the
second region B1 has a second length L2 in the vertical direction Y
and a second width W2 in the horizontal direction X. It is worth
noting that the ratio of the second length L2 to the first length
L1 and the ratio of the second width W2 to the first width W1 are
at least 1.2, and the ratios can be modified according to the
applicable requirements.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 2B, each of the sub-light-transmitting
regions 331-339 has a distance between itself and the adjacent
sub-light-transmitting regions 331-339, and every adjacent pair of
the sub-light-transmitting regions 331-339 having an interval that
is less than the minimum exposure interval (such as 380 nm) are
merged together. In this embodiment, the sub-light-transmitting
regions 334 and 335 have a distance d5 between them, and the
distance d5 is less than the minimum exposure interval. Therefore,
the sub-light-transmitting regions 334 and 335 are merged into the
same light-transmitting region.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, the sub-light-transmitting
regions 331 and 332 are merged into a second light-transmitting
region 431, the sub-light-transmitting regions 334, 335 and 336 are
merged into a fourth light-transmitting region 433, and the
sub-light-transmitting regions 337, 338 and 339 are merged into a
fifth light-transmitting region 434.
[0033] Moreover, since the distances between the
sub-light-transmitting region 333 and other adjacent
sub-light-transmitting regions 331, 332, 334-339 are greater than
the minimum exposure interval, the sub-light-transmitting region
333 has no need to be merged with other sub-light-transmitting
regions, so that the sub-light-transmitting region 333 can become a
third light-transmitting region 432 of FIG. 2C individually. In the
present embodiment, the area of the sub-light-transmitting region
333 is too small. To prevent the corresponding patterned
photo-resist and the patterned mask from being hardly formed in the
subsequently process because of the small area of the
sub-light-transmitting region 333, the area of the
sub-light-transmitting region 333 can be expanded outward
appropriately to generate the third light-transmitting region 432.
In addition, the area of the sub-light-transmitting region 333 can
be expanded based on the premise that the distance between the
sub-light-transmitting region 333 and the nearest first region A3
is enough.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 2C, after the sub-light-transmitting
regions 331-339 are integrated and transformed, the second pattern
400 of the photo-mask is completed. The second pattern 400 includes
the second light-transmitting region 431, the third
light-transmitting region 432, the fourth light-transmitting region
433, the fifth light-transmitting region 434 and the second
light-shielding region 441. The second light-shielding region 441
is the region outside of the second light-transmitting region 431,
the third light-transmitting region 432, the fourth
light-transmitting region 433 and the fifth light-transmitting
region 434 of the pattern design region 301. In addition, since the
second pattern 400 is transformed from the first pattern 300, the
second pattern 400 is also a pattern design passing the design rule
check (DRC) of the photo-mask layout.
[0035] In some embodiments, the second pattern 400 of FIG. 2C is
formed on the photo-mask substrate to form a photo-mask, and the
second light-shielding region 411 extends to the edge of the
photo-mask.
[0036] Methods for forming a semiconductor device by using the
photo-mask formed by the second pattern 400 are provided below.
Referring to FIG. 3A, a material layer 503, a mask layer 505 and a
photo-resist layer 507 are sequentially formed on a semiconductor
substrate 501.
[0037] In some embodiments, also referring to FIG. 2C, the material
layer 503 is composed of first regions A1-A3, second regions B1-B9
and a third region (i.e. the region outside of the first regions
A1-A3 and the second regions B1-B9). In some embodiments, an ion
implantation process is performed on the first regions A1-A3, the
ion implantation process is not performed on the second regions
B1-B9, and the ion implantation process is optionally performed on
the third region. It is worth noting that the target elements of
the semiconductor device 600 (for example, active areas, gates,
contact holes or a combination thereof) are located in the first
regions A1-A3 and the second regions B1-B9 of the material layer
503, and the first regions A1-A3 and the second regions B-B9
respectively correspond to different target elements.
[0038] In some embodiments, the locations of the first regions
A1-A3 and the third region of the material layer 503 correspond to
that of the second light-shielding region 441 in the second pattern
400 of the photo-mask. The locations of the second regions B1 and
B2 of the material layer 503 correspond to that of the second
light-transmitting region 431 in the second pattern 400 of the
photo-mask. The location of the second region B3 of the material
layer 503 corresponds to that of the third light-transmitting
region 432. The locations of the second regions B4-B6 of the
material layer 503 correspond to that of the fourth
light-transmitting region 433, and the second regions B7-B9 of the
material layer 503 correspond to that of the fifth
light-transmitting region 434.
[0039] Since FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 of
the photo-mask in the top view of FIG. 2C, the material layer 503
of FIG. 3A only shows the first region A2, which the ion
implantation process is performed on, and the second region B2,
which the ion implantation process is not performed on.
[0040] Next, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the photo-resist layer
507 is exposed by the photo-mask 500 formed by the second pattern
400, and a developing process is performed on the exposed
photo-resist layer 507 to form a patterned photo-resist 507' as
shown in FIG. 3B. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, a patterning
process (such as an etching process) is performed on the mask layer
505 by utilizing the patterned photo-resist 507' to form a
patterned mask 505' as shown in FIG. 3C.
[0041] Referring to FIGS. 3B and 3C, since the second
light-shielding region 441 of the second pattern 200 extends to the
edge of the photo-mask 500, when a negative photo-resist is used as
the photo-resist layer 507, the patterned photo-resist 507' and the
patterned mask 505' formed by the photo-mask 500 are not extended
to the edge of the material layer 503. In contrast, when a positive
photo-resist is used as the photo-resist layer 507, the locations
of the light-shielding pattern (such as the second light-shielding
region 441) and the light-transmitting region (such as the second
light-transmitting region 431) of the photo-mask 500 can be
exchanged. For example, the second light-shielding region 441 can
become a light-transmitting region, and the second
light-transmitting region 431, the third light-transmitting region
432 and the fourth light-transmitting region 433 can become a
light-shielding region. As a result, the patterned photo-resist
507' formed from the positive photo resist layer 507 by using the
photo-mask having exchanged patterns and the patterned mask 505'
formed subsequently do not extend to the edge of the material layer
503, either.
[0042] Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, an ion implantation process 510
is performed on the material layer 503 by utilizing the patterned
mask 505', so that the ions are implanted into the first region of
the material layer 503 (such as the first region A2) and the third
region of the material layer 503 (such as the region of the
material layer 503 outside of the first regions A1-A3 and the
second regions B1-B9). After the ion implantation process 510 is
performed, the patterned mask 505' is removed, and the
semiconductor device 600 includes the semiconductor substrate 501
and the material layer 503 is completed.
[0043] In the embodiments using the negative photo-resist as the
photo-resist layer 507 and using the layout pattern of the
photo-mask formed by the second pattern 400, the second region B2
of the material layer 503 is covered by the patterned mask 505',
and the first region A2 and the third region of the material layer
503 are not covered by the patterned mask 505'. In some
embodiments, in comparison with the first region A2 of the material
layer 503, the patterned mask 505' is closer to the second region
B2 of the material layer 503.
[0044] Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a method by
transforming a first pattern passing the design rule check (DRC) of
the photo-mask layout into a second pattern which is another
pattern passing the design rule check (DRC) of the photo-mask
layout, such that the target element region of the semiconductor
device can be farther from the patterned mask thereon which is
formed by the second pattern. Therefore, the target element can be
prevented from being affected by the pattern mask. Moreover, in
comparison with the distance between the light-transmitting region
of the first pattern and the target element region, the distance
between the light-transmitting region of the second pattern and the
target element region is farther. Thus, the photo-mask formed by
the second pattern can have a higher process window and can
generate a photo-resist layer having a smaller step height.
Furthermore, in comparison with the photo-mask formed by the first
pattern, the photo-mask formed by the second pattern has no need to
use exposure machines with high resolution, so that the process
cost can be decreased. In addition, the luminous flux passing
through the photo-mask can be decreased, and the lens heating
effect can be prevented from occurring.
[0045] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so
that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of
the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate
that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for
designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying
out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the
embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also
realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make
various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
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